Consett‘s infuriatingly inconsistent season continued with a poor performance and a surprise defeat to a Chester-le-Street side floundering in the lower reaches of Northern League Division One. With the Steelmen sitting top of the league, having won their last four league games and scoring 18 goals in the process, this defeat was as mystifying as it was disappointing.

Ken Lindoe made just one change from the starting eleven that lost in the League Cup at Penrith in midweek, with the fit again Mattie Moffat coming in for the suspended Gary Ormston.

On a heavy pitch, chances were few and far between in a tight first half. On five minutes Wayne Gredziak controlled an Ibrahim Hassan free kick on his chest, turned and fired in a shot straight at Platten.

Steven Johnson charges forward

Jonjo Dickman hurdles a tackle

Chester almost struck back within three minutes when Hassan played Gredziak in again who got goalside of his marker before firing in a low shot which Platten got down well to stop.

On the half hour mark, with Consett still on top, David Pounder won a loose ball in midfield but sent a 25 yard shot high and wide. That proved to be the last we saw of Consett as an attacking force in the half though as Chester equalised a minute later

The home side took a throw-in on the left wing, however a Consett defender slid in for it and missed his tackle leaving Hassan in the clear. He rolled the ball across the area and Craig Price drilled it home.

With Consett on the ropes Stewart ghosted in at the back post and saw a diving header go across goal and just wide. Things got worse for the Steelmen in first half stoppage time as Platten suffered an injury making a brave save from Home-Jackson, to be replaced Paul Gilmore

Half time: Chester 2-1 Consett

Consett found themselves under the cosh right from the restart with Hassan having a miscued shot scrambled off the line just 15 seconds into the half. Then three minutes later Draper’s shot on the turn from the edge of the area was tipped over the bar by Gilmore.

In a rare Consett attack after 55 minutes, Dickman’s shot from just outside the area bounced awkwardly in front of Chester keeper Aitken but he saved comfortably.

Craig Robson chases a loose ball

Chris Scott bursts out of midfield

It was no surprise therefore when the Cestrians extended their lead midway through the second half. A swift Chester break seemed to have broken down, but eventually the ball was worked out to Price who drilled a shot-cum-cross into the area which hit Hassan and found the net.

Gilmore was much the busier of the two keepers, first pushing a 30 yard Price free kick over the bar, then saving an
overhead kick from Home-Jackson.

Any faint hope for Consett was extinguished in the 79th minute when Coulthard brought down Stewart for a not-even-slightly debatable penalty, which Price converted with ease sending Gilmore the wrong way to make it 4-1.

The Steelmen did pull one back three minutes later when Johnson latched onto a long ball before rounding the keeper to score from an impossible angle. However there was never any serious possibility of a fightback as the hard-working home side saw the game out with relative ease, even threatening to go nap when Gardner shot into side netting in the closing stages.